Knife-handle.



PA'TENTED JAN. 3, 1905. e. W. HODGES & G. s. HASTINGS, S11. KNIFE HANDLE APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. HODGES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND GLOVER S. HASTINGS, SE, OF PLAINVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

- KNIFE-HANDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,860, dated January 3, 1905.

i I Application filed February 12, 1904. Serial No. 193,217.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be itsknown that we, GEORGE W. HODGES, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and GLovER S. HASTINGS, Sr. residing at'Plainville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knife-Handles, of which the following is a specification.

This improvement relates to knife or fork handles, and more particularly to that class which are composed of glass or other fragile material.

It is an object of the invention to furnish a handle which by its peculiar construction and mounting is in a large measure insured against breakage due to strain and accidents of use.

Another object is to furnish a novel means for ornamenting such handles and to protect such ornamentation against breakage.

The improvement may comprise in a general way a handle of any suitable material, preferably glass or other vitreous material, and a metal bolster or blade supporting member, with or without a ferrule. Also the free end of said handle may be provided with a metal cap, if desired.- The bolster and cap (if the cap is used) may be provided with ribs,

buttons, or figures, which may be made hollow and which project outwardly from the surface of said bolster or cap and may be made thick enough to withstand use without being crushed and yet thin enough to act in the manner of a cushion to absorb the blows to which the handle may be subjected to, and thereby protect the handle against breaking.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a knife having ahandle, illustrating one form of our improvement. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing part of a handle similar to that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of part of a handle, illustrating a variation of our improvement. Fig. A is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating a more elaborate application of our improvement. Fig.

5 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a part of a handle, illustrating a variation of our improvement. Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating another modification of our improvement. Fig. 7 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a handle, illustrating a further variation of our improvement.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the figures.

Referring to Fig l, 1 represents a handle of any suitable material, but preferably of glass. 2 is a knife-blade, and 3 a bolster, said handle being provided with retaining means, illustrated in the present instance as protuberances 4 at or near the blade end thereof. The handle, blade, and bolster may be secured to one another by any suitable means, preferably by such means as are set forth in our now pending application for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 176,599to wit, solder or cement, as 5, occupying the recess between the handle end and the bolster. This bolster in the present instance may be provided with one ster is in place on the knife-handle an annular space 7 is formed between said handle and the collar 6 of the bolster. This bolster, due to its exposed position and peculiar construction, acts as a buffer and furnishes an efificient absorbent for such blows or violence as the handle may encounter. The hollow portions of the bolster may be varied in contour, as shown at 6, Fig. 2, or may be of such form as at 6", or of a variety of other shapes or designs. Also. if desired, the annular space 7 or the cavities under the protuberances may be filled with some sort of yielding materials, as at 6, Fig. 5, to prevent the soldering or cementing material from filling and rendering ineffective such cavities. Such filling is also useful as a sanitary measure to prevent secretions in the cavities.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the handle may be provided with a cap 8, havingformed thereon a hollow rib, ribs, or buttons, as 9, similar to those already described in connection with the bolster, and a cap thus constructed affords added protection to the handle against breaking, or such cap may be omitted, as in Fig. 6. The hollow protuberancesmay be formed on a separate piecesuch, for instance, as ferrule 9, Fig. 3. In this arrangement the bolster may be made of any desired or well-known form and the ferrule secured to it by solder or otherwise.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a more elaborate metallic ornamentation comprising an encircling open-work jacket, in which portions thereof, as 10, are made hollow, similar to the rib 6 of Fig. 1. This construction, as shown, may be used without encircling ribs, or a bolster and cap having ribs may be used in connection therewith. It is thus obvious that there is a wide variation of design permissible within the spirit of this invention.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated a modification of our improvement, in which a metallic strap 11 is used both as an ornamentation and as a means in connection with the solder or cement for holding the blade in place. Said strap 11 is preferably formed of sheet metal and folded into U shape, so as to embrace the blade end of the handle, and is also bent to further con form to the general profile of said blade end of the handle. Said strap is also furnished near its ends with perforations 12. It is then placed in proper position in the mold in which the handle is to be poured or pressed. The material of the handle is thereupon put in the mold and flowed or forced outwardly through said perforations and around the edges of strap 11, and thereby made to coincide with the surface of said strap and to hold it securely in place. Bolster 3, having hollow raised portions, as 6, is then put in place and secured by solder or cement, as 5.

In Fig. 7 is illustrated a handle, as -1, having raised decorations, as 13, made integral therewith. Said decorations are protected against breaking by means of the hollow protuberances 6 and 9, pertaining to the ferrule and cap, respectively. In Fig. 7 is illustrated another variant of our improvement. 14 represents a ferrule having perforations, as 15, therein. Said ferrule is placed in a suitable position in the mold in which the handle is to be made, and the material of said handle flows or is forced into the perforations of said ferrule, thereby holding said thimble securely in place on the handle. The ferrule, bolster, and blade may then be secured to the handle by solder or cement, as already described.

Having thus described this invention, we claim 1. Ahandle of glass or other vitreous material having retaining means atone end thereof consisting of a metal strap embedded in said handle and having parts of the handle protru ding into perforations in the strap, a blade, a bolster, and means for interlocking the strap, the blade and the bolster.

2. Ahandle of glass or other vitreous material having retaining means at one end thereof consisting of a metal strap embedded in said handle and having parts of the handle protruding into perforations in the strap, a blade, a bolster, said bolster having outwardly-extending hollow portions and means for interlocking the strap, the blade and the bolster.

3. The combination of a handle having retainers and a bolster and a blade having a shank, means connecting said blade to said handle, said bolster extending forward and curved away from the handle, and toward the shank of the blade whereby to form a recess between said handle, shank and bolster and a cementing substance occupying said recess and surrounding the retainers.

1. The combination of a handle having retainers and a bolster and a blade having a shank, means connecting said blade and said handle, said bolster extending forward, and curved away from the handle and toward the shank of the blade whereby .to form a recess between said handle, shank and bolster, a cementing substance occupying said recess and surrounding the retainers and a ribbed ferrule on said bolster.

5. The combination of a handle, a blade havinga shank, and a bolster, said shank extending into said bolster, the bolster being provided with one or more outwardly-extending flexible protuberances, being also extended from and curved away from the handle to form a space, and cement in said space for interlocking the parts.

6. The combination of a handle having integral retainers, a blade having a shank, and a bolster, the shank extending into the bolster and against the handle end, said bolster extending forward and away from the handle and into contact with the shank of the blade whereby to form a space between said bladeand handle end, and acementing substance in said space and surrounding said blade end, and retainers.

GEORGE W. HODGES. 1 GLOVER S. HASTINGS, SR. Witnesses as to signature of George W. Hodges:

E. A. 'RIcE, RANso R1012. Witnesses as to signature of Glover S. Hastings, Sr.:

H. A. HURLIN, M. J. ABBOTT. 

